ER Rise of the Runelords

Campaign Traits

RISE OF THERUNELORDSCAMPAIGNTRAITS

Characters made for this campaign should have reasons for being in the town of Sandpoint, and all the better if they have a vested interest in defending it. In addition to the following campaign traits, the Pathfinder RPG
Advanced Player’s Guide has a selection of campaign traits from James Jacobs’ “Shadows under Sandpoint” campaign that would also be appropriate for use in this campaign (see page 330 of that book) . The other traits in that section (Advanced Player’s Guide 326) can also be
used for additional trait selections.

Eager Performer: Hearing that Sandpoint had
a theater rivaling those found in large cities like
Magnimar and Korvosa, you decided to tr y your
luck getting stage time there. After sending a letter
to Cyrdak Drokkus requesting an audition and not
hearing back, you’ve taken it upon yourself to travel to
Sandpoint and meet him in person, trusting your force
of will and charming influence will get you what you
want. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks for any one
Perform skill. Additionally, choose any one spell of the
enchantment school; its save DC increases by +1.

Family Ties: While not ethnically a Varisian, you
have been raised among Varisians and they consider
you one of their own. Furthermore, you managed
to get in good wit h a group of Sczarni and consider
them your new family. After being run out of the last
place your Sczarni family camped, you tracked down
a friend of the family in Sandpoint—a ruthless thug
named Jubrayl Vhiski at the Fatman’s Feedbag. During
your time with the Sczarni, you learned a few tricks
of the trade. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge
( local) checks and Knowledge ( local) is always a class
skill for you. In addition, you begin play able to speak
and read Varisian.

Friends and Enemies: One of your family members,
perhaps a parent, cousin, aunt, or uncle, helped Daviren
Hosk put down a group of goblins near Sandpoint.
Since then, your fami ly member passed away, but not
before telling you about that day and the offer Daviren
made her should she ever be in need. Once you make
it to Sandpoint and meet up with Daviren Hosk at the
Goblin Squash Stables, he gives you one of his best
steeds and all the necessary accoutrements as gratitude
for your family member’s help: a heavy combat trained
horse, a military saddle, saddlebags, bit and bridle, a
month’s worth of feed, and lifetime stabling at the
Goblin Squash Stables.

Giant Slayer: Your family’s village was plundered
by giants in the wilds of Varisia, leaving nothing
but a smoldering ruin. After the destruction of your
village, your family trained for combat against giants
to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
Since hearing of giants mobilizing throughout the
countryside, you ventured to Sandpoint to help the
town prepare for a possible incursion. You gain a +1
trait bonus on Bluff, Perception, and Sense Motive
checks and +1 trait bonus on attack rolls and damage
rolls against creatures of the giant subtype.

Goblin Watcher: You grew up in Sandpoint staring
off the cliff across the Varisian Gulf. Spending so
much time there at Junker’s Edge watching the goblins
below as they scrounged through the discarded junk
and seeing what they made out of the garbage, you
developed an eye for spotting the most useful and
valuable discarded items. You gain a +1 trait bonus on
Perception and Appraise checks, and a +5 trait bonus on
Appraise checks to determine the most valuable item
visible in a treasure hoard.

Hagfish Hopeful: Ever since passing through
Sandpoint when you were a child and hearing about the
contest at the popular tavern known as the Hagfish,
you wanted to take that coin purse as your own and
carve your name on the ceiling beam above the bar.
Training yourself to choke down indigestible food and
drink water a pig would refuse, you’ve built up quite
a strong resistance to all things putrid and gross. You
gain a +2 trait bonus on Fortitude saves against disease
and poison.

Merchant Family: You are related to one of the
four noble families from Magnimar who founded the
Mercantile League of Sandpoint. You either grew up
in Magnimar as a cousin in the Valdemar or Deverin
family or were born and raised in Sandpoint . Education
in running a business and years of looking after the
family enterprise have given you a knack for trade. You
increase the gp limit of any settlement by 20% and can
resell items at an additional 10% over the amount of gp
you normally would get from selling off treasure.

Monster Hunter: Perhaps you came to the Varisian
Gulf in search of the Sandpoint Devil, or maybe you
followed fisherman’s tales of Old Murdermaw—
regardless, you’ve ventured through Varisia to hunt
down famous monsters. While they have all eluded you
so far, you made it to Sandpoint to research and restock
before heading back out into the wilderness. Because
of your training, you gain a +1 trait bonus on attack
rolls and weapon damage rolls against aberrations and
magical beasts.

Scholar of the Ancients: Growing up with your nose
in books, you’ve had a great interest in past cultures
and ancient history. Furthermore, having grown up
in Varisia, you know the monuments dotting the
landscape belong to an ancient civilization known as
Thassilon. From your life of study and dogged research,
you’ve pieced together the language and partial history
of this once-great empire. You gain a +1 trait bonus on
Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge ( history) checks,
and begin play able to speak and read Thassilonian.

Student of Faith: While you have personally
dedicated your life to a single deity, you study all
religions and mortal faiths. Upon hearing that the
town of Sandpoint recently completed a cathedral
dedicated to the six deities most popular in the area,
you had to see the place for yourself, and have arrived
in time for the consecration of this holy edifice.
Because of your strong faith and broad range of study,
you cast all cure spells at +1 caster level, and whenever
you channel energy, you gain a +1 trait bonus to the
save DC of your channeled energy.